Elmer R. Rusco Collection on Ethnicity and Race in Nevada

Elmer Rusco was professor emeritus of the Political Science Department of the University of Nevada, Reno. Dr. Rusco has been researching the subject of ethnicity and race in Nevada for a number of years and in 1988 gave the Special Collections Department a collection of research notes, research papers, and published articles on this topic (collection 88-28). This accession, 90-85, is a continuation of Dr. Rusco's contributions to the study of ethnicity and race in Nevada.

During the fall, 1988 semester, Dr. Rusco and Professor LaVerne Jeanne co-taught an ethnic studies class at the University (Ethnic Studies 307/Political Science 453). The class produced projects in several formats: reviews of movies and films about race and/or ethnicity; oral interviews of members of ethnic communities in Nevada or northern California, transcripts of those interviews, and term papers. The ethnic groups researched by the class are as follows: Afro-Americans, Greeks, Greeks, Italians, Japanese, Jews, Micronesians, Native Americans, Portuguese, and Thais. The papers may describe a particular group's experience in Nevada or discuss minority and race relations, focusing on an individual group. One student focused on intelligence testing in schools. In two cases, papers also discuss Italians and Native Americans in northern California (Susanville), and Native Americans in Arizona.